We have been staying at all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean for almost a decade and at the close of 2020, we decided to find our way back to our home(s) away from home. We spent the last week of December 2020 at Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa in Mexico. In February, we went to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic where we spent seven relaxing nights at the brand new all-inclusive resort Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana Resort & Spa. Finally, there was a seven-night stay at Dreams Natura Resort & Spa in Cancun, Mexico, for spring break.
The timing of these back-to-back vacations to Dreams Resorts between late December 2020 and April of 2021 was due to three reasons; the free nights that came with our Unlimited Vacation Club membership would expire soon; our son will turn 13 later this year rendering our “free nights” even less free (more on that in a forthcoming post); and our kids are still learning from home due to the pandemic. A few weeks away from New York City was a much-needed change of scenery for our family.
Travel during Covid
Since flights from the U.S. to our desired locations in the Dominican Republic and Mexico were operating and Dreams resorts had re-opened, we decided to take advantage of a unique situation. With plenty of safety protocols in place at the airports, on the Delta flights, in the private airport transfers and at the resorts, our stays were safe and felt very exclusive because there were far fewer guests than usual. The safety precautions across the board reinforced the coordinated efforts of the travel industry to protect those of us willing to travel.
Masks – Masks are required in the airports and on the flights, except when eating and drinking the snacks offered by the airlines. Passengers are allowed and encouraged to bring food/snacks from home onto the plane because the airlines no longer serve meals, only snack packs are offered. Masks are also required while traveling in cars or vans and we were given hand sanitizer upon entry to all vehicles and indoor spaces.
At the resorts, masks are required when interacting with the staff. Otherwise, while lounging around the pools, comfortably socially distanced from other guests, sitting on the beaches, which were empty, or participating in any water activity, masks were not required.
Eating – The availability of restaurants throughout the day was limited but did not pose a problem once we got into the rhythm of each resort. The World Cafe, the central buffet of the Dreams Resorts, was open for breakfast every day at every resort but varied as far being open for lunch and dinner. In every case, guests were no longer allowed to serve themselves. Instead, guests were required to wear masks while in the area where the food was served by the staff who stood behind plexiglass barriers. This was a welcome precaution that I hope remains in place because it limits the number people accessing the food directly, which in the past has sometimes resulted in messy and unappetizing scenarios.
In addition to the World Cafe, Dreams Resorts have several restaurants that offer lunch and dinner. Normally, all restaurants are open daily but during Covid, they rotated the restaurants that were serving lunch and dinner. At first, it felt limited in comparison to past experiences at Dreams resorts, but we were satisfied by our options at each resort.
Testing to re-enter U.S. – After January 20, 2021, anyone entering the United States was required to show proof of a negative Covid test taken within 3 days of departure. To accommodate international regulations, many resorts began offering on-site Covid tests with the guarantee of free lodging to quarantine if a guest tested positive. It was a relief when Dreams announced that it would offer these free services at all of their locations. In Punta Cana and Cancun, our tests came up as negative. It was a fairly straight-forward process at each resort to get tested and receive the required paperwork to fly home.
At the airports, the added paperwork does slow down the process but that did not present a problem when fewer people are traveling. However, as more people start to travel again, governments and airlines will need to streamline the process.
Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa
I wrote about our December 2020 trip to Tulum in an earlier post with information about our excursions to the nearby Mayan ruins and the adventure park Xel-Ha. Tulum, Mexico has become a trendy hotspot in recent years and it was fun to see it for ourselves. Cenotes, iguanas and numerous other natural beauties are in abundance in this region. In comparison to other Dreams Resorts, Dreams Tulum is smaller but offers a charming and intimate setting that made for a comfortable stay. The hacienda style is appealing and specific to this beachfront resort located on the coast of the calm Caribbean ocean and surrounded by the jungle of Tulum.
There are two large pools but one is reserved for adults only which meant that our pool time was spent around the main pool located just steps away from the beach. Since there were fewer guests than usual, we did not feel crowded around the main pool, not to mention that the beach was empty most days. I can imagine that this pool can become uncomfortably crowed when the resort is at full capacity.
There is a kiddie water park with slides located in the Explorer’s Clubs area. The Explorer’s Club is a drop-off service for parents to leave their children from ages 0-12 to be entertained during the day. The small waterpark located in the Explorer’s Club is only open to families who prefer to stay together for only one hour each day, 1:00-2:00 pm. Aside from this area, there are no other on-site activities for big kids such as large water slides or zip-lining but the proximity of the Mayan ruins, the amusement park Xel-Ha and other attractions just a short drive from the resort can easily compliment a stay at Dreams Tulum. These are excursions are not included and can be booked ahead of time (sometimes cheaper) or at the resort through Amstar. UVC members get a 15% discount. More about this membership in an upcoming post.
Summary of Dreams Tulum, Mexico:
Rooms – Comfortable and clean beds, nice bathroom with separate jacuzzi tub and stall shower. We had a junior suite with two double beds, a small lounge area with a couch and balcony. I arrived with some concerns based on some online reviews that complained of rooms that needed to be upgraded. I was relieved when we were shown to a room that met all of our standards.
Service – Excellent across the board.
*As guests, it is our responsibility to acknowledge good service throughout our stay by tipping at meals, when we are served drinks while lounging around the pool or at the beach, receiving assistance with lounge chairs and don’t forget about housekeeping. It does not take long to become familiar with the restaurant staff at these resorts. As consistent tippers, these staff members are more inclined to treat us to special experiences such as offering dishes not on the menu, ensuring tables without waiting and other perks that are sure to make anyone feel special.
Food – Very good. In general, the food at Dreams resorts is prepared in smaller batches and in comparison to past experiences at other brands, we have noticed a considerable and consistently higher quality at Dreams all around.
Drinks – The range of free cocktails, beers and wine is what one can expect when it is all-you-can drink. With that said, we tend to drink less to avoid massive hangovers from cheap house wines (my preference) and cocktails made with liquor that is not top shelf. There is the option to purchase nicer bottles of wine at dinner and from time to time we do so even though the selection is considerably overpriced.
Beach – Beautiful. The staff was diligent about clearing the seaweed on a regular basis so it did not pose a problem. The water was calm and clean.
Pools – Nice but limited (see above).
Activities On-Site – Limited (see above).
Click here to read more about our time in Tulum!
Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana Resort & Spa
We had not been to the Dominican Republic since April 2019 when we stayed at Dream Dominicus La Romana and it was the first time in several years that we stayed at a beachfront resort facing the Atlantic Ocean. In the past and when the kids were much younger, we preferred La Romana because the Caribbean is so much calmer and relaxing when your kids are still learning to swim. However, Macao Beach was stunning! This beach stood out for its vibrant colors, soft sand, crystal, clean water and breathtaking views. Yes, the ocean was active but it was bearable now that our kids are strong swimmers. Sitting on the sand right at the water’s edge was something that I looked forward to on a daily basis. I had to start with the beach because it stood out to me personally and it is the central reason that I voted to return to this resort to celebrate the 2021 holiday season and ring in the New Year. The vote was unanimous.
Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana is brand new and we were lucky to be one of the few families staying at the resort this past February. The resort is spotless, the food was delicious and the staff was five stars all around. In addition to a beautiful beach and multiple pools to swim in, this resort offers a complete water park for big and little kids. It seems that the newer Dreams Resort are offering more activities for big kids and adults such as these water slides, zip lining and rock climbing. These activities give guests fewer reasons to leave the resort and more reasons to stick around and design days that are a healthy balance of action and relaxation. This is a medium-sized resort and although there were not many guests, I can imagine that even at full capacity, it could easily accommodate more guests without feeling crowded.
We did take advantage of one half-day excursion on a catamaran that was sold to my husband by a resort staff member who very quickly became one of our favorites for his enthusiasm and attentiveness throughout our stay. We had the boat to ourselves and were taken along the coast where we had the opportunity to snorkel, pass by a dolphin reserve and hang out at a sandbar. It was the perfect way to kick off our vacation in Punta Cana.
Summary of Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana, Dominican Republic:
Rooms – Excellent. Brand new rooms with comfortable beds, a pillow menu for Preferred Members and state of the art bathroom with a double shower stall and large tub.
Service – Excellent. No complaints.
Food – Delicious.
Drinks – Average but to be expected.
Beach – The most beautiful beach ever.
Pools – Spacious options for families with children and very well-maintained.
Activities On-Site – Water slide park for kids and adults, kiddie water park, zip lining, rock climbing, and an arcade that is available to all ages, all day and for an extra charge. The arcade was new feature because normally, this feature is tied into the clubhouse designated for teenagers only on other Dreams Resorts.
Dreams Natura Resort & Spa
The trilogy of staying at Dreams Resorts over a four month span of time concluded with a week at Dreams Natura, just a fifteen minute drive from the airport in Cancun. This brand new resort may be compact but it packs a punch. The resort is designed around an amazing water park, zip line, rock wall, lazy river and kiddie water park. This resort is all about family fun, has every restaurant and features common to the Dreams brand all within arms reach.
This resort is not spread out over a large area of property but we generally felt like we had plenty of space to stretch out because the resort was operating at a reduced capacity. There were some weddings and there were a couple of days when the resort did feel a little crowded. There were a couple mornings when my husband had to go down early and place towels with a few personal belongings on lounge chairs to ensure we had a spot around the pool when we showed up around noon. This could pose a problem in the future when it opens to 100% capacity.
The resort is surrounded by the jungle and the bird calls, especially early in the morning, were memorable. We overheard numerous bird conversions, many that started before dawn and went on throughout the day. This natural sound installation, the on-site activities, delicious food and stellar service deserves endless praise. Despite this property being on the smaller size, we plan to make Dreams Natura our go-to resort when in Cancun. More to come in 2022!
Summary of Dreams Natura, Mexico:
Rooms – We were upgraded to an amazing master suite. As UVC members we are automatically eligible for a free room upgrade and I finally learned how to maximize this perk. More about the UVC membership in an upcoming post.
Service – Excellent (as usual).
Food – The food was very delicious and deserves praised for its quality, flavor and many options throughout the day, especially at the World Cafe Buffett which was conveniently open for every meal despite the scaling back of restaurant availability during the pandemic.
Drinks – The free offerings were about the same but the house wines were a little more drinkable than other Dreams. I was able to have multiple glasses of rosé or champagne in the evenings without waking up with a massive headache. This was a good sign!
Beach – Nice but a lot of seaweed. Despite the resort’s efforts to clear it away on a daily basis, the amount of seaweed was a little bit of a turn off.
Pools – Two main pools are open to families with children and one for adults-only. The pools are not massive and did not feel crowded at the time but may feel so when the resort is at full capacity.
Activities On-Site – The on-site activities stole the show! The water park is the centerpiece of this resort. There are multiple slides, some that you can down in a single or double inflatable raft which was a lot of fun. There did not seem to be any height restrictions in place because we watched families send toddlers down these massive slides. There is a kiddie water park close by that is perfect for toddlers and little kids (and parents) intimidated by these large slides. Running through these spaces is a lazy river and alongside the structure supporting the large water slides, is a rock climbing wall and a zip line. The zip line was open in the afternoons and the first day we made the mistake of getting on line as soon as it opened. We quickly realized that it was better to wait a couple of hours and make the hike up the stairs closer to closing time because there was a much shorter wait. Of course, wait times for the zip line and water slides will likely change post-pandemic when this resort starts to welcome more guests.
